The National Labor Relations Board unleashed a raft of precedent-busting, pro-union decisions soon after President Barack Obama’s reelection in November.

The board’s three Democratic appointees issued rulings that weakened checks on union power, including two high-profile decisions forcing employers to automatically deduct union dues from worker paychecks when contract agreements expire and limiting the ability of employees to exercise their Beck rights. […]

The board overturned a 50-year precedent in a ruling that required companies to hand over employee wages to unions when collective bargaining agreements expire. Organized labor previously relied on voluntary dues from workers during negotiations. The ruling will enable unions to continue raking in forced dues throughout negotiations with employers. […]

David Phippen, a labor attorney with Constangy, Brooks & Smith, said the board engaged in “rhetorical gymnastics” to extend the dues deductions beyond the life of contracts. Dues deductions were previously held in the same manner as no-strike clauses in contracts. Preserving the union’s money supply during negotiations while allowing them to strike puts employers at an inherent disadvantage, according to Phippen.

“[The ruling] takes away one persuasive factor that would encourage a union to come to an agreement without having to exercise other weapons like a strike,” he said. “Historically everyone has incentive to not be wasting time on an agreement and go on working. Stakes were high for both sides; that may not be the case anymore.”